Trump’s ‘Jewish Wingman’ Says He Paid Stormy Daniels $130K Out Of His Own Pocket
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
By Ari Feldman February 14, 2018
Michael D. Cohen, President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, paid the porn actress known as Stormy Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket — and was not reimbursed, the New York Times reported. The payment was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in January.
In a detailed statement to the Times, Cohen called the payment to Stormy Daniels — whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford — “lawful, and was not a campaign contribution or a campaign expenditure by anyone.” Cohen had previously denied that Trump had an affair with Clifford.
Cohen declined to answer whether Trump ever knew about the payment or had made or ordered similar payments in the past. Cohen’s statement was his first acknowledgment of involvement in the payment.
Cohen’s statement came amid questions from a watchdog group that the payment had come from an in-kind contribution to Trump’s presidential campaign. Cohen called the allegations “untrue.”
Contact Ari Feldman at [email protected] or on Twitter @aefeldman
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
